Team size: Three

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure organisational resilience?

Managing legal aspects during crises requires a proactive, integrated approach built on early anticipation, strict prioritisation of business operations and clear communication. Legal strategy must serve as an active partner to commercial goals, safeguarding the company’s policies whilst providing the operational flexibility needed to navigate instability.

In more detail, in periods of crisis the following should be done. First of all, risks should be prioritised and those which threaten the company’s survival or reputation should be tackled first. Moreover, legal advice should be precise and pragmatic and not theoretical. Communication with stakeholders should be synchronised in order for the correct steps to be followed. Lastly, critical documents and written communication should be maintained easily accessible to concerned parties at all times.

How do you see AI and automation reshaping the legal profession, and how are you leveraging technology in your own legal team?

Artificial intelligence and automation are transforming the legal field by speeding up routine tasks like document comparison, due diligence, legal research and status recording.

This doesn’t mean that AI can replace lawyers. AI is a very powerful tool which speeds up lawyers’ work by providing gathered information quickly for lawyers’ further research and evaluation. Moreover, technology provides platforms to do legal due diligence quickly and easily, to compare contracts and to keep a record of all cases’ status. In this way, the lawyers’ time is saved in order to be used for other tasks which need lawyers’ input, like document review, negotiation and contact with clients.

Generally, I am sceptical about the use of AI. I recognise that it is helpful for our work; however, it should always assist a lawyer to minimise effort and do things more quickly, and not replace him.

What is the most overlooked skill or mindset that today’s in-house lawyers need to succeed at the highest level?

The most overlooked skill for in-house lawyers is commercial fluency – the ability to deeply understand the business scope, financial factors and operational pressures of their company. Understanding all the above allows counsel to shift from a rigid legal gatekeeper to a strategic partner who provides advice about business growth and risk balance. In order to better understand the company’s business, a master’s degree focused on the matter is always very helpful for legal counsel.

Moreover, based on the above, legal counsel should create tasks for his/her department by always being alert to new laws and following the company’s new activities and not only tackle tasks ordered by top management. Legal counsel should always try to countercheck the company’s documentation, defend the company’s interests and enhance the company’s reputation.